The present invention seeks to improve on the utility of the wood lathe cutting tool disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,630. In that patent, a unitized rigid bar-like tool or holder for a cutting bit unit has a rocker foot extension whereby the far end of the tool can be grasped and rocked in a vertical plane toward and from a rotating workpiece in a wood lathe.
A problem encountered with this type of turning tool is that the bit holder is necessarily small and therefore difficult to grasp and hold in contact with a grinding or sharpening stone. To overcome this problem, the present invention seeks to provide a cutting bit unit or holder particularly useful in turning wooden spindles which is constructed for versatility of use on the same type of tool disclosed in the above prior patent and also having means whereby the cutting bits can be conveniently and firmly held against the grinding stone to sharpen them periodically.
More particularly, in accordance with the invention, a comparatively thin disc body is diametrically grooved across one end face to receive in the groove a pair of differently profiled spindle turning bits which may be held in place by brazing or the like. Between the two bits at the center of the disc body, an axial threaded opening is formed therethrough to accept a bolt by means of which the bits can be held in firm contact with a grinding wheel to sharpen them while the disc body is separated from the bar-like wood lathe cutting tool. The threaded opening in the disc body also receives the securing rod of the wood lathe cutting tool during the use of the invention for turning spindles and the like. The arrangement is highly convenient, efficient and economical and renders the tool in the above-referenced patent considerably more useful without any increase in its manufacturing cost.